DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Artistic Philosophy

     I was active in theatre throughout middle and high school, both in drama clubs

and the community. While I absolutely enjoyed the stage, I found myself failing to be the ‘show off’ it seemed was necessary to make it as an actor. Like most hopeful thespians I assumed that good actors were able to fling themselves into whatever emotional state was required, using that magical energy from the ‘high’ of appearing before an audience. I knew I could never keep up that sort of gimmick for the extended periods of time required to act professionally. I witnessed young actor friends who were constantly bouncing off the walls and had to be at the spotlight of attention. Their obnoxious disturbance of everything around them was forgiven by peers and directors alike because they could ham it up on stage and were loved for it.

     After graduating high school I put acting to the side and had a six-and-a-half year

long career in the Army. While three deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division leaves little room for dramatic study, I did gain an invaluable

perspective that few are able to experience. I was honorably discharged and found

myself in Greensboro, North Carolina attending Guilford College as a history education double major.

     Some friends of friends who I had met somewhat recently were involved with the

local theatre scene. They knew I used to act in high school and asked me to help with a

show when a lead had to drop out. I instantly connected with the cast and crew and was invited to help establish a non-profit theatre group with some of them. I was already a full-time student and had gotten a job at a deli to earn a living, but I was drawn to this exciting endeavor and signed on. The other members came from a range of theatrical experiences, from purely amateur community theatre enthusiasts to a film director and a college professor.

     Our vision in The Fly-By-Night Theatre Company was to promote original works by local artists. We would only produce work that had never been performed before and sought to incorporate local dance and live music acts with the shows. While we performed submissions from across the United States, North Carolinian playwrights were the main focus. Due to company members relocating and financial burdens, Fly-By-Night folded after four seasons. I gained invaluable experience from co-running this independent organization alongside artists of various talents and backgrounds.

     I was at this point still convinced that acting would remain a hobby for me and I

would stay on the safe route of teaching history. My plans changed course after signing

up on a whim for an acting class at Guilford that focused on the teachings of Sanford

Meisner and Uta Hagen. Students were tasked to create the world of the play beginning with given circumstances, eventually building in personal transferences.

Learning this methodical and disciplined approach was immensely liberating, and the

parts of my mind that I thought were holding me back as an actor were actually

propelling me to excel during scene work in the class.

     I have found artists that I have enjoyed working with tend to harbor an

environment that exceeds in both uninhibited creativity as well as personal focus and

discipline. I understand hard work and long hours and can appreciate people who have

the heart to see an effort through to the end.

     In addition to refining my craft as an actor, I also have a major passion for humanitarian efforts globally, but more specifically issues in my home state of North Carolina dealing with marriage equality, separation of church and state, and contemporary issues with civil rights and the justice system. I believe that it is the responsibility of theatre to give an outlet for the constantly changing voice of the community (be it as large as the people of Earth or as small as a neighborhood). I know this is not a necessarily new and profound statement, but it speaks to my soul as a humanitarian.

     The importance of self-discipline for an actor cannot be stressed enough. As a

matter of fact, the major discovery I made at Guilford was the more discipline I applied

to researching a character, perfecting line memorization and personalization of the

character’s circumstances the more liberated I felt in rehearsals and ultimately

performances. I am constantly drawing comparisons between the training I received in

the military and training as an artist, for they both have similar desired outcomes. When the airborne infantry trains for combat, they drill action and reaction movements until they become muscle memory so the paratrooper does not have to think in the heat of the action, they only react. I do believe that the nirvana of a character would be achieved when the actor has such intimate knowledge of the character and the world of the play that action can happen as a subconscious muscle memory to a given

circumstance that fits what they are receiving.

     I think of the ideal rehearsal studio as similar to a greenhouse. Greenhouses

serve to create an environment where any number of desired plant can grow and

flourish regardless of the elements of nature outside. In a proper rehearsal studio,

artists can release their inhibitions and insecurities in order to have open, honest

dialogue between their director and fellow actors. Just as greenhouses work by the

control of light, temperature, and humidity, there are contributions that everyone must make in order to harbor an effective working environment in rehearsal. I am not Patrick Brandt when I am in rehearsal. I am not my character either. I am simply the actor.

     The problems, relationships, deadlines, and other such influences of the outside world do I have never been more at peace with myself now that I have realized my true calling to life as an actor and do not have a solid future goal outside of the pursuit of refining my craft. I would be content by working however I had to in order to pay the bills

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.